More and more kids, teens, and adults these days are starting to use their smartphones as their primary means of gaming. Oftentimes, when looking at reviews for smartphone games, it’s considered a praise to call a game a “good time waster.” We believe that games should indeed be fun, but should ideally have some higher purpose than solely “wasting your time.” The beauty of Ninja Factor is that it takes the concepts from one of the greatest “time wasting” games of all time, and transforms it into something that is highly educational while still being extremely fun.

Introduction

Ninja Factor is a fun, addictive game designed to increase your fluid intelligence. Your fingers become mighty katanas, your brain becomes your most powerful weapon and you become a Kensaido Ninja. Swipe across the screen and slash numbers to form combos as big as your mind allows.

If you’re unfamiliar with Fruit Ninja, the concept of the game is to slice a variety of fruits which are thrown in the air with finger swiping gestures, mimicking the slice of a katana blade. Although many other modes have been introduced since the game’s launch, the original game mode’s objective is to slice as many fruits as possible before gravity pulls the airborne fruit off the bottom of the screen. There are two ways in which the play session can end: slicing a bomb or missing to swipe three fruit before they disappear off of the screen.

In Ninja Factor, the basic concept is the same, but rather than slicing fruits, you are presented with a number at the top of the screen (for example, 7). Your goal then becomes to slice multiples of that number (so you could slice a 7, or a 2 and a 1 (21), or a 6 and a 3 (63), and so on...). The two modes included are: Classic and Crazy-7. Classic mode implements the basic concept explained above and ends the game when three waves of numbers are not sliced. Crazy-7 does not implement the three strike policy, but instead is time based.

Ideally, this game would probably be targeted towards kids learning multiplication tables, however it is fun enough that it can be played by anyone. Whether you’re looking to sharpen your mental math skills, or just looking to play a fun game that is not a total “time waster,” this is also a perfect game for you. As with any good iOS game, Ninja Factor is compatible with all the latest devices, including iPods, iPhones, and iPads. It fully supports the retina display on any of these devices (including the new iPad), and is absolutely beautiful to look at. The backgrounds are inventive, and keep the game interesting to look at.

The audio is another area where the game really excels. We connected our iPad to a surround sound system, and were astounded by the full stereo sound effects that this game exhibited. The soundtrack is comprised of fun, stereotypical ninja music that ought to pep up even the saddest person. Also maximizing the featureset, this game supports Game Center, and has plenty of achievements, which you will surely earn more of than all your friends. In Fruit Ninja, a huge combo will get your adrenaline pumping, but in this game, the feeling is even more rewarding as you realize just how much thinking you had to do to earn the huge score. Few things in life are as satisfying as slicing a couple 5’s for a score of 15 points followed by slicing a combo of 6050 and increasing your score by a factor of 700!!

All-in-all, we highly recommend this game for anyone with an iOS device, especially at the asking price of only $.99. This game is an all-around well produced and will remain one of our go-to games for months to come. It's hard to go wrong with a simple game with good graphics and sound, and makes you think a little bit! To sweeten the deal right now, Chipotle Labs is donating 100 percent of their profits to charity (Charity: water) until July 31st! Their blog details the charity drive, and it's good to see money go to a good place, and we hand it to Chipotle Labs for making that committment!